The Standing Stones of Dartmoor

There are numerous prehistoric monuments on Dartmoor such as stone rows and stone circles that consist of standing stones. However, the term menhir, or standing stone, is usually reserved for those that are megalithic in size and stand in isolation from any other monuments or burial mounds. With such a definition there are very few standing stones to be found today on Dartmoor. In fact only three remain standing; Beardown Man on Devil’s Tor a kilometre from Cowsic Head, the Hanging Stone on Lee Moor, and the Harbourne Head standing stone about a mile east of the Avon Dam Reservoir. All of these are in isolated places, unconnected to other monuments, and the stones are in unlikely settings for boundary or marker stones [Butler p. 220].

Undoubtedly, there were once many more standing stones. The word Longstone, or equivalently, Langstone appears in many place names on Dartmoor and these could well refer to standing stones that have long disappeared [Worth p.271]. For example, Longstone Hill, about 1km to the east of the Meldon reservoir has what may well be a fallen menhir on the summit [Butler p.220, Newman p. 36]. This could also apply to Quintins Man in Lydford, man being a derivation from maen for stone or menhir, hence names such as Beardown Man. The Quintins Man is actually a cairn with no standing stone known in the historical records but it is quite conceivable that it has long been lost or removed.

Worth allows for the broadening of the term menhir to include significant standing stones associated with stone rows. Many of the stone rows consist of small stones with a cairn at one end and a significantly larger terminal stone at the other. Some of these terminal stones are truly megalithic in size. The three row terminals at Drizzlecombe are notable examples, one of which is the tallest on Dartmoor. The other notable examples being the Shovel Down Longstone, the Piles Hill longstone that terminates the Butterdon stone row, the Langstone on Langstone Moor and the Laughter Man. Petit suggests that the lower end of the Burfurd Down stone row would have originally been of similar proportions to these longstones. As the row descends the hill on to more level ground it goes beyond the new take wall and ends with a stone that is 4ft wide at the base and rises over 2ft out of the ground at an angle. A 7ft long slab that tapers to a breadth of 2.5ft has been cut from this stone and lies on the ground nearby [Petit p.135]. Along with these longstones can be added the example at the Merrivale complex and the White Moor Stone which lies a short distance from the Little Hound Tor stone circle.

It is not certain that all of these standing stones are actually prehistoric, some, like the White Moor Stone and the Shovel Down longstone have become boundary stones in historic times. The Shovel Down longstone is mentioned in the Perambulation of Dartmoor in 1240 which would suggest that it at least predates 1240. Whilst it is difficult to prove the age of these stones it seems most likely that those located at the end of stone rows are of the same date as the rows. The Laughter Man longstone is one of the exceptional menhirs in that it also marks a cairn which was excavated in 1903 when the stone was restored. A number of these menhirs were restored by Baring-Gould and Burnard and the Dartmoor Exploration Committee.

Worth also mentions other "exceptionally large" stones in stone rows leading to cairns, whilst making it clear that they are not true menhirs, and adds some examples where the stones in a stone row approaching the cairn get larger to the point that they stand out for their size. These include the stone nearest the cairn end of the Assacombe row and the westernmost stone in the Hingston Hill (Down Tor) row. In this context Worth also mentions the massive fallen slabs that would have been at the end of the double row that leads to the Shovel Down Fourfold cairn circle.

With more emphasis on the megalithic size rather than scientific definition, the massive stones in the Challacombe and Hurston rows are perhaps worthy of a mention. To this could also be added the stones of the Staldon and Piles Hill rows and those recently found on Cut Hill - but we will exclude these as they are rows of large stones rather than examples of individual outstanding stones. We should probably also exclude the largest stone in the Scorhill Circle as it does not meet the usual criteria of being considered a menhir - but purely on the unscientific basis of its notable and exceptionally large size for a stone in a Dartmoor circle it is included in the listing below.

There are other stones worthy of a mention; the Maximajor stone (now damaged and replaced) on Mardon Down, the Three Boys (again part of the Shovel Down complex), a standing stone on Butterdon Hill (near Moretonhampstead) and Butler mentions a possible fallen menhir in an oval embankment on White Ridge not far from the Grey Wethers. There are also two massive recumbent slabs half a mile north-east of the summit of Butterdon Hill on Beacon Plain. They lie about 50yds apart on grass moorland in an area where there are only a few surface stones. Pettit suggests they were probably moved to their current location from Hangershell rock. Both are over 18ft in length and if standing would be larger than the Drizzlecombe menhir [Petit p.148]. It is not clear whether they were ever erected. Another curious candidate for a prehistoric standing stone is to be found embedded in a wall in a pub in South Zeals, namely in the Oxenham Arms (see coverage on Legendary Dartmoor website).

Possibly one of the largest standing stones described on Dartmoor was reported by Wilkinson in his 1862 article on British Remains on Dartmoor [Wilkinson p. 36-7]. This stone has long since disappeared. According to Wilkinson the Hart Tor double stone row was "terminated by a large monolith, now fallen, measuring about 25 feet long by 2 feet and 3 inches". According to Butler it would have been "a truly gigantic terminal pillar, far larger than any that has survived on the Moor". In 1879 W.C. Lukis mapped the site and in 1881 described a "menhir which has fallen, 17 feet 9 inches long", Whilst considerably shorter than Wilkinson's measurements this would still be the largest menhir on Dartmoor [Lukis p.476]. Lukis also refers to another fallen menhir terminating the single row on Hart Tor which was apparently 12 feet 3 inches in length which is not much shorter than the tallest Drizzlecombe menhir at 13 feet and 9 inches. For further coverage of the Hart Tor site, see Hart Tor Stone Row & Cairn Circle.

There are of course numerous other standing stones on Dartmoor which date from historic times. The numerous crosses and boundary stones hold a fascination in their own right but are beyond the scope of our coverage.

External Links & Resources

The NMRs can be searched on the English Heritage Pastscape website. The simplest method is to use a location search and reduce the range to 250m to narrow the results (increase to 500m if site not found). The Megalithic Portal is another great resource for looking up sites. A detailed listing of possible menhirs, some quite obscure, can be found on the Prehistoric Monuments of Dartmoor website. An excellent discussion of menhirs can be found on the Legendary Dartmoor website.

Listing of Dartmoor Standing Stones

About the Database Listings

Details of archaeological sites used to be kept in the Sites and Monuments Records (SMRs). These are now held in National Monument Records (NMRs) maintained by English Heritage although these in turn are being merged into Historic Environment Records (HERs). The NMRs contains details of the site and will often include field notes, a limited bibliography and other useful information. Another rich source of such information is Bill Radcliffe's Prehistoric Monuments of Dartmoor (PMD) website. The records below were compiled independently from books and journals and then matched to the NMR records and then cross-referenced with any corresponding PMD records to ensure accuracy. Each record has a link to corresponding NMR and PMD records, a link to the location on the Ordnance Survey map, a photo (if available) and a link to relevant coverage on Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks and a link giving a listing of nearby sites. The HER records are not included as they do not yet have much information but they can be looked up via the PMD records. The author would like to thank Bill Radcliffe for the helpful correspondence whilst checking records. See also: Database and Web Search Tools

Note on menhirs: we have used a very loose definition of a "standing stone" which is broadened to include some stones of a "megalithic proportion" which are not strictly menhirs. Some of the entries are of recumbent stones or suggested menhirs or of locations thought to relate to menhirs.

Default listing is by Site Name, click here to order instead by: Site Name, OS

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Walk: The Neolithic tombs of Cuckoo Ball & Corringdon BallOS Map:SX 65838 59189NMR record:SX 65 NE 19HER record:2888Megalithic Portal:44532The Stone Rows of GB:Butterdon EastPMD:Beacon PlainShort Name: SS:BeaconPlainButler map: 53.8Butler Vol 5: p.216 & Fig.150DPD: 79Dimensions (m): 6.4 x 1.93 x 0.76Notes: "One of two large granite blocks situated some 500 meters east of Hangershell Rocks. May be fallen standing stones or stones brought to the site but never erected. This western stone lies 55 meters from the other and tapers towards its northern end. Between the two are traces of two other stones, and the fact that they form a straight line lends weight to the argument that they are fallen menhirs. This western stone was excavated in august 1968, and groups of small stones were found at the broad end and along the w side as if to receive the stone when it was erected." For more on that see coverage on the SRGB and on PMD. See also HER record MDV2883.Nearby sites:SX65845919

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Walk: The Neolithic tombs of Cuckoo Ball & Corringdon BallOS Map:SX 65886 59210NMR record:SX 65 NE 19HER record:2883Megalithic Portal:44532The Stone Rows of GB:Butterdon EastPMD:Beacon PlainShort Name: SS:Beacon Pl2Butler map: 53.8Butler Vol 5: p.216 & Fig.150DPD: 79Dimensions (m): 5.4 x 0.7 x 0.5Notes: "There are two possible menhirs, on Beacon Plain, 500 yards east of Hangershell Rock. The more easterly stone measures 18 feet 4 inches in length. The other stone lies 57 yards away on a bearing 26 degrees south of west. It is 18 feet in length, 5 feet 6 inches wide at one end, and tapers to a blunt point. The stones are completely isolated on a grass moor, and have none of the characteristics of surface boulders. If they were menhirs they are the largest known on Dartmoor." There are suggestions these two stones are ends of a short stone row with a smaller stone in between. For more on that see coverage on the SRGB and on PMD. See also HER record MDV2888.Nearby sites:SX65895921

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Walk: The Neolithic tombs of Cuckoo Ball & Corringdon BallOS Map:SX 64747 59301NMR record:SX 65 NW 37HER record:13095Megalithic Portal:45565PMD:Butterbrook Standing StoneAlternate name: Butterbrook Standing StoneShort Name: SS:Butter BrDimensions (m): 2.03 x 1.77Notes: A standing-stone, possibly prehistoric, near Butter Brook (near Harford) is 2.03m long and has a standing height of 1.77m. The stone is located towards the north of the eastern side of the plantation around Butterbrook reservoir. The stone is easy to approach from the dry ground to the south but just beyond the stone to the north is marshland. [Entry no. 70 in An archaeological check-list for Harford, Devon Archaeological Society/DCRA publications no. 11 (1982)]Nearby sites:SX64755930

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Site: Challacombe Down Triple Stone RowOS Map:SX 68960 80860NMR record:SX 68 SE 28HER record:6600Megalithic Portal:10092PMD:Challacombe Stone RowShort Name: SS:ChallacombeButler map: 24.3DPD: 126Dimensions (m): unknownNotes: The largest and most prominent blocking stone of the Dartmoor rows is to be found at the Challacombe triple row. Worth states that it is over 5 feet in width at the base and over 6 feet in height. Butler (Vol. 2) states that the terminal pillar is today 0.5m shorter than when it was measured in 1893.Nearby sites:SX68968086

OS Map:SX 58372 63688NMR record:SX 56 SE 36HER record:2423Megalithic Portal:45568The Stone Rows of GB:Lee Moor SouthPMD:The Hanging StoneAlternate name: The Hanging Stone Standing StoneShort Name: SS:HangingButler Vol 5: p.53DPD: 59Dimensions (m): 2.2Notes: Located on Lee Moor. "The 'Hanging Stone' or 'Leaning Rock', 7ft 9ins in length, but because of the stone being 38o out of the vertical, its vertical height is only 6ft 9ins. It measures 3ft 7ins by 1ft 10ins at the base, and is incised on one face with the letters "CB" showing that at one time it was used as a bound-post. It is believed to be prehistoric." TDA Vol. 72 1940 pp. 192-3 (R Hansford Worth). See also, Legendary Dartmoor: The Hanging Stone.Nearby sites:SX58376369

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Site: Hurston Ridge Double Stone RowOS Map:SX 67120 83750NMR record:SX 68 SE 42HER record:6650Megalithic Portal:14933Short Name: SS:Heath StoneButler map: 25.Dimensions (m): Almost 3? Notes: The original Heath Stone was a boundary stone which was referred to in the Perambulation of the Forest of Dartmoor in 1240 and some very early maps. According to Butler (Vol. 2 Map 25 p.32) the stone carved with a biblical inscription in 1970 that is currently known as the Heath Stone is unlikely to have been the original Heath Stone as it is in a useless position to be of any use as a boundary stone. The stone was not included in maps from the 18th century and then reappeared in a different location. It is doubtful that the current stone is the original or that it is prehistoric. Crossing suggests that the large standing stone in the Hurston Ridge stone row is the actual Heath Stone. See also, Legendary Dartmoor: The Dartmoor HeathstoneNearby sites:SX67128375

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Site: Hurston Ridge Double Stone RowOS Map:SX 67280 82490NMR record:SX 68 SE 10HER record:6541Megalithic Portal:8345PMD:Hurston Ridge Standing StoneShort Name: SS:HurstonRidgButler map: 25.9DPD: 136Dimensions (m): 1.8Notes: Hurston Ridge is one of the best examples of a double stone now on Dartmoor. At the south end is a cairn 22feet in diameter. The space between the rows widens intentionally as it approaches the cairn. The first stone from the south in the eastern row is the largest stone and stands 5 feet 10 inches high. Crossing suggests this may have been the original Heath Stone. A cinerary urn, in fragments except for the rim, was discovered in the cairn in 1900. Restored, the urn, 18 3/4 inches high, 16 inches in diameter at the rim and 8 inches in diameter at the base was revealed as an unusually large and handsome bipartite Overhanging rim or crowned urn of Middle Bronze Age type.Nearby sites:SX67288249

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Site: Langstone Moor Stone Circle, Stone Row & SettlementsOS Map:SX 55023 78742NMR record:SX 57 NE 18HER record:4225Megalithic Portal:17504PMD:Langstone Moor Standing StoneShort Name: SS:LangstoneButler map: 30.12Butler Vol 5: p.230DPD: 13Dimensions (m): 2.76Notes: The Langstone standing stone is 2.76m high and can be seen from some distance. It was restored in its original socket in 1893. The Langstone is close to a stone row consisting of very small stones. The Langstone standing stone and also the stone circle were used for target practice by American troops who were stationed nearby during the second world. Bullet holes can be seen on the Langstone standing stone. Lethbridge pp.13-14.Nearby sites:SX55027874

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Site: Merrivale Ceremonial Complex [Photo Set 2]OS Map:SX 55359 74599NMR record:SX 57 SE 9HER record:53395Megalithic Portal:115PMD:Merrivale Standing StoneShort Name: SS:MerrivaleButler map: 44.8.4DPD: 17Dimensions (m): 3.2Notes: "Two Bronze Age standing stones with a disturbed cairn and a number of small earth fast stones. Located in open generally clitter-free moorland. Only one of the two stones still stands; it is 3.2 metres high and tapers from the base which is 0.7 by 0.5 metres in section. Whether the stone was once the focus or terminus of a stone rows is uncertain. The second stone is now fallen, it is 2.2 metres long, up to 0.4 metres wide and 0.3 metres thick. An adjacent 0.3 metre deep pit may be its socket hole. "Nearby sites:SX55367460

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Site: Merrivale Ceremonial Complex [Photo Set 2]OS Map:SX 55371 74596NMR record:SX 57 SE 9HER record:53396Short Name: SS?Merrivale2Butler map: 44.8.4DPD: 17Dimensions (m): 3.2Notes: "The second stone is now fallen, it is 2.2 metres long, up to 0.4 metres wide and 0.3 metres thick. An adjacent 0.3 metre deep pit may be its socket hole." According to Butler it was "erected in 1895 in the pit alongside, toppling again a few years later". Nearby sites:SX55377460

OS Map:SX 65014 93606NMR record:SX 69 SE 26HER record:13065Megalithic Portal:8401PMD:Oxenham ArmsShort Name: SS:OxenhamArmsNotes: "The Oxenham Arms, now an inn, is the former manor house and home of the Burgoyne family. A courtyard plan house, it was originally a two-room-and-through passage plan. An interesting feature is an enormous upright slab of granite built into the inner wall of the rear parlour. This looks very much like a prehistoric standing stone and it seems that the house was built around it". See also, Legendary Dartmoor: The Oxenham Arms MenhirNearby sites:SX65019361

Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks:Dartmoor Site: Piles Hill Double Stone Row & CairnsOS Map:SX 65433 60746NMR record:SX 66 SE 50HER record:5653Megalithic Portal:10003PMD:Piles Hill Standing StoneShort Name: SS:Piles HillButler map: 53.8DPD: 77Dimensions (m): 2.5Notes: The fallen menhir on Piles Hill: "The 'Longstone' is a block of very coarse-grained pinkish granite. It is now 2.5m long and of rough rectangular section tapering from a base formerly about 0.4m. by 0.7m. which has been squared and snapped by drilling. The stone lies in a northwest to southeast direction. To its northeast side there is a boundary stone erected in 1803 and shaped by drilling. It is of identical stone and appears to have been fashioned from the 'Longstone' which would therefore have originally been some 4.5m long." Lethbridge p.77Nearby sites:SX65436074